Automated mass mailing machines for high speed processing of large quantities of documents have been in use for many years. Such machines typically include a feeder that provides individual sheets or a cutter or burster that makes individual sheets from paper stock, a register board that straightens the individual sheets and feeds them to a folder which folds the sheets to envelope size, a sequencer that collates the sheets in the proper order, an inserting track that receives the folded sheets and adds other inserts to the folded sheets, and means for inserting the folded sheets along with inserts into envelopes.
These machines efficiently fold and process standard business size letters. Inserts such as bills or order forms, however, are usually small enough to be inserted into an envelope without folding. Existing machines are not equipped to rapidly and efficiently identify, cut and process these sized inserts.
Thus, for existing systems, a document can be printed on one sheet of paper and processed as a letter by folding the sheet to envelope size or a plurality of documents can be printed on one sheet of paper which is cut before processing. The first choice, folding, is not satisfactory because a considerable amount of paper is wasted, and the increase in the weight of the documents results in higher mailing costs. The second choice, cutting, is even less satisfactory since precutting is time consuming which defeats the whole advantage of such mass mailing machines.
Thus, a system is needed that allows preprinting of a plurality of documents on one sheet of paper and identifies, cuts and processes these documents at a high rate of speed.